The streaming giant has officially secured the feature film rights to the beloved children’s television show. Netflix landed the project after a year-long bidding war that included Universal and Warner Bros., with production company Rideback set to produce. The new deal brings the iconic characters of Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch to the big screen for the first time in decades.
The Sesame Street movie Netflix acquired marks a significant expansion of the relationship between the streamer and Sesame Workshop. Netflix already secured the television rights to the series in May 2025, with seasons premiering on the platform as well as on PBS. This movie deal strengthens the partnership and brings the franchise fully into the Netflix ecosystem.
Rideback, the production powerhouse behind the billion-dollar live-action Lilo & Stitch and Aladdin movies, will lead production on the new film. Jonathan Eirich and Michael Lofaso run the company, which had already been working with Sesame Workshop on an animation project before this deal came together. Sesame Workshop will also serve as a producer on the feature.
The battle for the rights lasted roughly a year and initially involved three major players. Warner Bros, which had held the rights for about a decade without producing a film, bowed out early. Universal remained a strong contender with an impressive producer lineup that included the Daniels (Everything Everywhere All at Once) alongside Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Ultimately, Netflix won, and Sesame Workshop’s approval of Rideback’s creative approach helped seal the deal.
The film’s journey to production has spanned more than a decade. The project was originally announced in 2012 and shifted between studios, eventually landing at Warner Bros. At one point, Anne Hathaway and Chance the Rapper were attached, with Bo Burnham writing songs. A 2021 release date was scheduled but scrapped due to the pandemic. Now, Netflix and Rideback are expected to restart development from scratch, meaning previous talent attachments are unlikely to carry over.
This new Sesame Street movie Netflix is developing will mark the third live-action feature film following 1985’s Follow That Bird and 1999’s The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. No director is currently attached . With Rideback’s track record and Netflix’s distribution power, the long-awaited return of Sesame Street to theaters is finally taking shape.
